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Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
By Paul McQuade, SEPM AAPI Tennessee
Dear Friends and Fellow Employees, As you may know, the month of May has been designated Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. I would highly recommend you take a few moments to visit the website http://www.asian-nation.org. I have learned more about the culture, demographics, and social issues facing American and Pacific Islanders from this website than any other I have looked at. It can give you a great deal of insight into the variety of cultures within this group, as it also points out, social scientist have long ago established that there are no separate races, only differences based on ethnic culture."This brings to mind the words of a Neville Brothers song. ¡°There is only one race, the human race."
Over the past couple of years, I have had the opportunity to visit Asia , including Nepal , Bali , and Fiji . The experiences I have had have been wonderful. The one word I would like you to know is "namatsee" This greeting is from Nepal and means, "I greet the God that dwells within you." I can think of no better greeting I have ever heard.
We had prepared a power point presentation on the Agriculture of the developing world, including Bali and Nepal for Diversity Day. I hope to present it to you at a future date. I am sure you would enjoy it.Therefore, during this month, I hope you will explore the rich Asian & Pacific Island cultures that are a part of the tapestry of our world and remember that our employees are the best recruiters for student volunteers and future employees.
Sincerely,
Paul McQuade
SEPM AAPI Tennessee
